177 Stillman Street

Built in 1924, seven new ventilators were installed on the roof of the former electrical supply warehouse at 177 Stillman Street and the building and its windows were painted over around 2009. And in early 2013, the SFPD was apparently surprised to discover a full-scale marijuana farm and distribution center inside.

Permits to retroactively legalize the unpermitted ventilators and painting were subsequently sought and issued by the City, but not to support the illegal grow house use.

Earlier this year an anonymous complaint was filed with the city, noting that unpermitted work was once again underway on the building behind closed doors, including illegal demolition work. And having been leased to LaLanne Fitness, LLC, plans to convert the Stillman Street building into a CrossFit Gym would appear to be the work that had been observed.

While permits for the interior demolition work have since been approved, the last legal, and ironically illegal, use of the building was for Production, Distribution and Repair (PDR). And with a temporary moratorium now in effect preventing the loss of neighborhood PDR space in effect until October 2016, a gym – which is not a legal PDR-use per San Francisco’s Planning Code – is not permitted. The City’s letter of determination was re-issued to LaLanne last week.

4 thoughts on “Conversion of Former SoMa Grow House into a CrossFit Gym Nixed”
  1. The owners of the property would have been better served in waiting for the Central Corridor Plan which appears to raise the height limit to 85′-130′.

  2. LaLanne has been operating in SoMA for 7 years at least. I think they’ve been in the current space on Howard btw 5th and 6th for 5 years. I wonder what’s going in where they are moving out?

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